SWAN Hill councillor Stuart King will carry the banner for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party in the seat of Mallee in this year’s federal election.
Mr King, born and bred in the Mallee, will take leave of absence from Swan Hill Council while he campaigns due to the time commitment and any possible conflicts of interest.
Federal politics is something Mr King has become very passionate about in the past couple of years.
“In just my short time in local government, 15 months or so, I’ve seen the frustrations we have as a council with the higher levels of government, and it’s probably driven me to get involved at a higher level,” Mr King said.
“I believe in a higher level I can have a greater impact for our community, for community in our region, and for the Mallee region in general, and I believe I’ve got something to contribute to Australian society as well.”
At a national level, Mr King’s goals and values align with that of the UAP – ending what he sees as Australia’s energy crisis, protecting free speech from tech giants, zonal taxations for regional communities, and respecting the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship.
Mr King also feels strongly about getting back to “the Australian way of life”, ending lockdowns for good and abolishing vaccination passports, believing that “any government level of control that seeks to divide communities and families” is bad policy.
“I see that our Australian way of life is under threat,”he said.
“Democracy is well and truly under threat with the goings-on of the last couple of years of COVID restrictions, lockdowns, mandates, passports, that sort of thing, and I don’t see that as the Australian way of life.
“That’s not a way of life that I want my kids or grandkids in the future to experience. I want them to have the Australian way of life, which is a free life, which is a democratic life.”
At a local level, water security is a big issue on Mr King’s agenda, and if he were to get elected, looking into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan would be one of his priorities.
“I’m not going to profess to know everything there is to know about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, however I am aware that it’s not working in its current form,” Mr King said.
“For me, it will be working with the relevant groups to really revisit that plan, to look at the whole water ownership system, where our water is owned, and to restore as best as possible ownership of water by the people that use the water.
“Water shouldn’t be an investment commodity.”
While Mr King has had only a brief conversation with Mr Palmer, he believes that he is a very hard worker that “wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth”, and should be proud of all he has accomplished.
“Unfortunately we have this Australian way of tearing down the tall poppy, so if somebody is successful, it seems to be the Australian way that we want to cut them down somehow, we don’t want to celebrate their success,” Mr King said.
“Clive has invested in the past, and again he’s investing a lot of money to run this campaign … such is his love and his passion for the nation.
“He wants to see Australia prosper and I’ve got every confidence that there’s no personal motivation for Clive in this … he’s doing this for the good of the Australian nation.”
On Tuesday, party federal leader Craig Kelly announced UAP would field 150 House of Representatives candidates.
Mr King is confident that if he is not elected, he will be welcomed back to the Swan Hill Council with open arms by fellow councillors.
“I’ve had that sort of positive feedback from my councillors, so if I’m not successful I don’t see an issue re-entering council,” Mr King said.
“I believe the experience will only enhance and improve the way I function as a councillor, and the contacts and networks that I form during the campaign will also support and assist me to be a better councillor for the Swan Hill municipality in the future.
“My roots are here, I love being here, and I just want the Mallee to be the best that it can possibly be.”
